


Ties of Blood and Love

by Shikorra



Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Age of Legends, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 21:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15615546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shikorra/pseuds/Shikorra
Summary: An account of certain events in the Age of Legends from the perspective of Elan Morin Tedronai's five-greats-niece.Originally posted on FF.net.





	Ties of Blood and Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a loosely plotted story of how to get from the Bore being drilled through a century of Collapse and then a ten-year war. Updates will be irregular, sorry!

It only ever took a single moment for her world to shatter.

Indira heard his voice, as familiar to her as the warmth of _saidar_ or lines on her own palm, he was speaking, he was saying… things. The Shadow. The… Great Lord. Of the Dark. The words made no sense and yet the clarity of her understanding, the absoluteness of his betrayal was perfect. She stood at the back of the crowd, her view of the massive screen half obscured by the people between her and it.

She knew it was going to cut off, knew _him_. And it did, the live broadcast around the world cut off by a vicious explosion of Power. Elan had had his say, he saw no need to permit anyone to follow him on that stage.

Too numb for speech, she turned towards the wall, leaned on it as shouts and whispers of panic and confusion erupted through the room. No one took note of her; she'd come here looking for an anonymous place to party for a couple of hours, perhaps even to find a distraction from her wayward heart. No one here knew her, no one here knew her connections to the mighty and powerful of the day. The crowd was moving now, the club clearing hastily as people sought something other than the cheerful lights, sweet drinks and bright, bouncy music. Indira went with them, carried outside with the swirl of people and left to her own thoughts as they scattered.

She walked the streets of this barely-familiar city, slow, mechanical footsteps as reality slowly soaked into her bones. She was a Dreamer, one of the most talented of her generation, and she knew there were nightmares ahead.

The constant vibrations of her callbox finally drew her out of her reverie and she glanced at it. Over two hundred messages were piled up and she scrolled disinterestedly through the list of the dozen people trying to call her _right now_. She stared at it, her mind blank. She should… she should… she flicked it to entirely _off_ and shoved it back in her pocket.

A few minutes later, she encountered the entrance to a much dingier, much less honest club and made her way inside. She was Indira Morin, heir to one of the largest fortunes on this continent, newly raised Aes Sedai, of the first rank in the Power and an orphan since the age of six. She'd never been in a place like this. The screens were small and outdated, the aging speakers lacing the audio with random static as they strained to reach the set volume.

Most of the people present were engrossed in their own doings, at the gaming tables, at the bar, in one of the grimy booths along the wall. But a handful were watching the screen and voicing drunken nonsense about the person of the news presenter, the identity of the various people making Statements and the uselessness of the rich. The actual news was ignored by everyone except Indira. She saw Elan's library burning, an eerily accurate reflection of a Dream she'd thought allegorical. The scene switched to the Morin estate with a dramatic shot of the mansion being invaded by a small army of police and Aes Sedai. She heard her name, heard the grave statements that no one knew where she was and no one knew if she was complicit with her uncle - ' _fifth great-uncle'_ she corrected silently – or had been harmed by him. Fears were expressed for her welfare, expressed in a layer of superficial concern over ugly suspicion.

When she finally left that little club, dawn was approaching here and it was well past midnight at her home. She opened a gateway into _tel'aran'rhiod_ , stepped out of reality and translated herself to a place she knew well. Exiting the World of Dreams, she Travelled to the standard landing platform in the foyer of the beautiful home that was now hers alone.

The silence she stepped into was brief; it ended with the explosion of a dozen camera flashes, all capturing an angle of her, dressed for a casual party and her expression set in apparent indifference. The reporters were swiftly hustled out as she was ever so politely asked to answer a few questions.

She co-operated of course. She said all the needed words, did not hide her wan, exhausted state. It was only when Lews Therin Telamon himself stood before her with a binder in his hands that she was surprised.

"I am sorry," he'd said softly, his own exhaustion heavy in his voice. "Indira... we need..."

A faint almost smile touched her expression. "I know," she answered, one part of her mind dispassionately evaluating the situation. She took the binder in her hands, shifting slightly so the near two dozen witnesses – and the camera – could see her clearly. As Lews channeled into the numeral 2 etched on one end, she felt the binding net tighten over her skin. She answered the questions, thankfully distilled down into yes/no binaries, and then it was done. The binding that held her to speak only the truth was lifted and in a scant minute, she was alone with Lews and Felger, the steward for her estate.

"Indira, please come back with me. Ilyena – she's demanding you do. Chaella too… you've not been answering their calls and -"

"No," she interrupted a flash of sardonic amusement crossing her mind. Despite his words, Lews had not thought for a moment she would refuse and the slightly confounded expression in his eyes was easy enough for her – his daughter's best friend – to read. "No. I need… I need to be here. Don't worry about me. Elan is…"

"He's _insane_ , Indira."

"… not about to try anything against me tonight. Tomorrow, yes, I'll come. I promise." She knew she was right. She knew Elan would want, would _need_ the impact of his dramatics to be maximized and an assault on her right now would not serve that end.

He spent another minute trying to change her mind but he had not the time to stay any longer. Once he was gone, she turned to Felger and heard his succinct summary of the situation on the estate. The damage done was all psychological but it she could tell it had cut horrifyingly deep. She was their only anchor right now and she did what she could. She was alive, she was well, she was not going to follow her uncle, she would be there for them. It drained what little energy she had left and she did not argue when Felger finally guided her to her apartment for rest.

She had to resort to focus exercises before her body obeyed her mental command to _sleep_ , something that hadn't happened since she was twelve. A Dreamer like herself had to be able to control their sleep; it was the first cornerstone of using her talent. But even with all the mental discipline she was able to summon, she slept poorly and was awake again in a few scant hours. Abandoning the task as pointless and the bed as unhelpful, she made her way into her private sitting room and sat on her favorite chair, knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her head leaning against the soft, worn fabric to watch the dawn.

_He_ came then. Barid Bel Medar, one of Elan's former students and one of the very few that Elan had permitted to continue working with him. He had been Elan's friend and assistant, and was as much a part of her life as Elan himself had been. And Barid held her as she broke and cried.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love and I treasure every single one.


End file.
